Nuggets & NBA

Nuggets hire New Orleans' Tim Connelly as new general manager

Ten Junes ago, the Nuggets transformed their franchise by obtaining a young talent who attended Baltimore's Towson Catholic High School.

That's the plan again.

With the goal of becoming an elite team, Denver hired Tim Connelly on Monday to be the team's executive vice president of basketball operations — or, as the fans know it, general manager — replacing Masai Ujiri, who left to run the Toronto Raptors. Connelly, 36, previously the assistant GM of the New Orleans Pelicans, went to Towson Catholic, the school that Carmelo Anthony attended until Melo's senior year.

"I'm honored," Connelly said by phone. "I think all of us aspire to ultimately be in this position with good people and a good organization and put your imprint on things.

"I'm lucky enough that Josh has taken a chance on me."

Josh is Josh Kroenke, the team president, and now Kroenke and Connelly will make a decision on replacing the fired coach George Karl. Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw is scheduled to interview with Denver on Tuesday, while former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins will interview Wednesday, an NBA source said.

Until this past weekend, Pete D'Alessandro was the front-runner for the Nuggets' GM job, but he was wood by the Sacramento Kings and their new ownership group to run their team. Kroenke quickly regrouped and locked in on Connelly.

"He comes from a great basketball background, possesses an incredibly strong work ethic and is a wonderful person," Kroenke said in a statement. "His passion and energy for the game of basketball are contagious, and I am confident that he will be a great fit with us in Denver."

Connelly, like Ujiri, is known for his scouting abilities, nationally and internationally, and he has a vast basketball background. He joined New Orleans in 2010 after working as the director of player personnel for the Washington Wizards.

After graduating from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in 1999, he was hired by the Wizards as the assistant video coordinator. He became a scout the following season.

"Tim is a hardworking, knowledgeable and creative executive who is well-liked around the league," Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey said. "He will do a fantastic job for the Nuggets."

Asked which traits could make Connelly successful in the new job, New Orleans GM Dell Demps said: "He always thinks outside the box. He never leaves any stone unturned. And I call him the eternal optimist. He always sees the bright side. Everybody's going to really look forward to working with Tim. ... Tim is friends with everybody. He's one of those guys who everybody knows and everybody likes. He has the ability to make everybody feel like they're his best friend."

One of Connelly's first matters of business will be attending to the Andre Iguodala situation. The Nuggets guard will opt out of his contract and become a free agent, but Denver can sign him to a five-year deal, while all the other teams can sign him only to a four-year deal. After Ujiri left and Karl was fired, Iguodala texted The Denver Post, explaining, "I need some time to let it sink in" in regards to his future.

As for Connelly, he clearly doesn't have the name recognition of fellow Denver execs John Elway and Joe Sakic, but in some ways this hire is a lot like that of Ujiri in 2010 — a young assistant GM with a scouting background looking to make a splash.

And as for name recognition, perhaps in a decade fans will look back at the Connellys as the Mannings of NBA execs. His brother Pat is the new assistant GM with the Phoenix Suns. Two other brothers also have worked in coaching and scouting in some NBA capacity.

"Growing up, it was all sports, and we were a close-knit family," Connelly said. "(At Towson Catholic), collectively, none of us were very good — a couple of us were OK, and I use OK very loosely."

And now, he's running the team built around the trade of Towson Catholic's most-famous alum.

The Nuggets hired Connelly on Monday to replace GM Masai Ujiri, who left for the Toronto Raptors.

Connelly, 36, was the assistant GM for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is a Baltimore native.

Connelly is known for his scouting ability and front-office versatility. He was a Washington Wizards intern in 1996, nabbing his first full-time job with the team upon college graduation in 1999.

"His reputation around the league as a front-office rising star is spot on," said Chicago Bulls assistant general manager Brian Hagen, who worked with Connelly in New Orleans. "I think the world of him. He's a class act who is hardworking, smart and will have a plan and process in place for the Nuggets' continued success."

Boulder is pretty good at producing rock bands, and by "rock," we mean the in-your-face, guitar-heavy, leather-clad variety — you know, the good kind. For a prime example, look no farther than BANDITS. Full Story